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Modern Wrestling History
Around 1965, several individuals, principally Terry McCann and Myron Roderick, were dissatisfied with the governance of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). They began discussions with Walter Byers, then the Executive Director of the NCAA, with the goal to form a wrestling organization administered by wrestling people. The group wanted to develop an overall program that would: 1) offer competitive programs for wrestlers who had completed high school and/or college; 2) offer educational and developmental programs for wrestlers, coaches and officials in the international styles of wrestling; 3) offer wrestlers, coaches, officials and organizations conducting wrestling programs a voice in policies and procedures directly affecting the sport. Initial organizational meetings were held in January of 1968, where the need to develop a new federation to challenge the AAU was reaffirmed. Subsequently, a brochure which announced the formation of the United States Wrestling Federation (USWF), was circulated in May and June. It defined the goals, objectives, structure and proposed financing, and set the stage for the official organizational meeting. In April of 1969, the USWF conducted its first National Open Championships in Evanston, Ill. The Mayor Daley Youth Foundation, led by Olympians Don Behm and Larry Kristoff, won the first freestyle and Greco-Roman team trophies. Myron Roderick, head coach at Oklahoma State University, was appointed USWF Executive Director in August of 1969 and moved the offices to Stillwater, Okla. In July of 1970, Federation Internationale de Luttes Associees (FILA) president Roger Coulon of France took the international franchise away from the AAU and ordered a joint commission, five members each from USWF and AAU. The Federation suffered a setback in 1972 as new FILA president Milan Ercegan returned the AAU to full membership. Yet individual membership doubled to 3,000 and the national office added its second full-time employee, Bob Dellinger. The Federation merged with the U.S. Kids Wrestling Federation in 1975. The National Wrestling Hall of Fame was formally dedicated on Sept. 11, 1976 and housed the National Office of the Federation. The street in Stillwater where the Hall is located was renamed Hall of Fame Avenue. Fourteen charter members were inducted into the Hall of Fame. Membership in the Federation grew to 25,686 by the end of 1976. On Sept. 7, 1978, the American Arbitration Association ruled that the AAU was no longer a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, replaced by the U.S. Wrestling Federation. Congress passed the Amateur Sports Act of 1978 into law in November, 1978. Congress amended the Amateur Sports Act in 1980 to cut off USOC membership and funding for any arbitration loser. On Aug. 20, 1982, a judge in Ohio ordered the AAU to resign from, and sever all ties with, FILA and to resign from the Olympic Committee. The USOC was ordered to terminate its recognition of the AAU as a Group A Member and the National Governing Body (NGB). USOC president Bill Simon convened a seven-man panel on Sept. 23 to develop a structure for the new United States Wrestling Association. It was to include two members for the AAU, which boycotted. USWF became USA Wrestling (USAW) on March 14, 1983. Werner Holzer was elected president and Steve Combs continued as executive director. Shortly thereafter, FILA recognized USAW as the member organization from the United States. The USWF had finally triumphed in its struggle to become the NGB for wrestling in the United States. Since assuming NGB duties, USA Wrestling has achieved numerous milestones for the sport of wrestling, which include: 27 Olympic medals (14 gold, 7 silver, 6 bronze) 67 World medals (21 gold, 31 silver, 15 bronze) 1993 and 1995 Freestyle World Team Championships Hosted the 1995 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships, one of the most successful World Championships ever held Strong athlete support created through national teams programs Significant increase in training and competitive opportunities for all age groups of athletes Strong programs developed for coaches' and officials' education One of the leading international exchange programs among National Governing Bodies 49 recognized state associations Regional and national age-group championships annually attract more than 12,500 competitors USA Wrestler, the official publication of USA Wrestling, published six times annually, has a circulation of over 130,000 USA Wrestling recognized a Women's Sport Committee, created a National Team for women and increased financial support for its development USA Wrestling's Junior National Championships developed into the leading wrestling competition in the United States and, possibly, the world USA Wrestling's Cadet National Championships grew to match the size and scope of the Junior National Championships Four additional National Tournaments were created: Espoir Nationals (1985), Cadet Nationals (1986), University Nationals (1990), Women's Nationals (1990) ? National Coaching Staff established for Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Developmental programs USA Wrestling purchased a building to house the full-time staff Two wrestlers were named winners of the James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually to the top amateur athlete in the United States: John Smith (1990) and Bruce Baumgartner (1995) All-American Club created for past U.S. team members, Olympic Trials finalists, national champions and national All-Americans in freestyle, Greco-Roman and women's wrestling. Recommended links: |